Healthy eating for conception

Why a healthy diet is important for dads-to-be

A healthy diet and conception often go hand-in-hand. The healthier it is, the better your chances of having healthy sperm and your partner conceiving. That’s because male fertility is directly affected by your nutrition. Not getting the right nutrients from your food and going over the alcohol limit can affect the quality and quantity of your sperm. The positive effects of changing to a healthy diet can take a few months to kick in, so keep persevering to give your body a chance to make some fit and healthy sperm! 

A healthy diet and conception

While you’re trying to conceive your diet should be as varied and nutritious as your partner’s. Basically this means eating lots of fruit and vegetables for vitamins and minerals, and plenty of calcium-rich dairy and iron-rich red meat and pulses too. Foods rich in antioxidants like vitamin C and zinc are good for male fertility, helping your body to produce healthy sperm and kill off abnormal sperm. So be sure to include lots of seafood, wholegrain cereals, lean meat, eggs, and rye bread in your diet. Other good sources of antioxidants include baked beans, bananas, grapefruit, orange juice, green leafy vegetables, and jacket potatoes. Smoking affects your body’s ability to absorb vitamin C, so this is another great reason to consider quitting. You can find out more about healthy eating, including a diagram showing the proportions of a balanced diet, in our Eating for your health and energy article.

Coffee and alcohol

Good news if you’re a caffeine addict – it’s fine to drink coffee! Studies show that caffeine can actually help improve your sperm’s ability to move.

Too much alcohol, however, isn’t such a good idea. Heavy drinking can affect your testosterone levels and your body’s ability to produce healthy sperm. Try to stick to no more than 3–4 units of alcohol a day.

Smoking

As you’ve probably guessed, making sure your sperm is in tip-top shape means giving up smoking.

Smoking directly affects the male fertility. It can increase the number of abnormal sperm and affect their ability to move – very important considering the journey they have to make to reach and fertilise your partner’s egg.

Research also shows that smoking can cause babies to be born prematurely. So if ever you needed a good reason to quit, this is it!